WEBVTT WHEN RAIN COULD RETURN TO YOUR FORECAST A MAN FROM PANDORA FACED A TERRIBLE CHOICE. HAVE HIS PROSTATE REMOVED OR DIE OF CANCER. STACEY: HE CHOSE THE SURGERY, ONLY TO FIND OUT AFTERWARD THAT THE DOCTOR’S LIFE-THREATENING DIAGNOSIS WAS WRONG. KCCI’S LAUREN DONOVAN HAS MORE ON A DOCTOR’S ADMISSION OF A MAJOR MEDICAL MISTAKE. LAUREN: COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW A PATHOLOGIST AT THE IOWA CLINIC ADMITS TO MISDIAGNOSING RICKIE LEE HUITT OF PANORA. LEADING HIM TO BELIEVE HE HAD ONLY 5 YEARS TO LIVE WITHOUT THE SURGERY. >> I’M RESPONSIBLE; IT WAS A HORRIBLE SITUATION. THAT IS TESTIMONY FROM PATHOLOGIST CAN ENJOY TRUE BLOOD. WE DUG THROUGH COURT DOCUMENTS THAT REVEAL TRUEBLOOD ADMITS TO MESSING UP HUITT’S PROSTATE BIOPSY, LEADING TO FALSELY DIAGNOSING HIM WITH PROSTATE CANCER. . ACCORDING TO COURT RECORDS, TRUEBLOOD SAYS, "THERE WERE TWO PATIENTS THAT DAY THAT HAD PROSTATE BIOPSIES. AND THAT A SCANNER GLITCH GOT HUITT’S AND ANOTHER PATIENT’S MIXED UP. BECAUSE OF THAT GLITCH BACK IN 2017, DOCTORS TOLD HUITT IF HE DIDN’T GET SURGERY TO REMOVE HIS PROSTATE HE’D ONLY HAVE AN ESTIMATED FIVE YEARS TO LIVE. BUT IF HE HAVE THE SURGERY, HE COULD FACE INCONTINENCE AND ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION. THINKING IT WOULD SAVE HIS LIFE, ON APRIL 3 OF THAT YEAR, HE GOT HIS PROSTATE REMOVED. HOWEVER, AFTER THE REMOVED PROSTATE WAS SENT INTO THE MAYO CLINIC FOR FURTHER TESTING, THEY FOUND THERE WAS NO CANCER THERE EVER. THE IOWA CLINIC DECLINED TO GO ON CAMERA BUT IN A STATEMENT TOLD KCCI -- ONCE ALERTED ABOUT THE SITAUTION WE IMEDIATELY APOLOGIZED TO THE PATIENT AND IMPLEMENTED CHANGES TO MAKE CERTAIN SUCH A MISTAKE WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. IT GOES ON TO SAY -- THE IOWA CLINIC RECOGNIZES THE ENORMOUS TRUST PATIENTS AND FAMILIES PLACE IN OUR PHYSICIANS AND STAFF. WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT TRUST IS EARNED EVERY DAY. SO WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER PATIENT WHO THOUGHT HE WAS LIVING CANCER FREE? THE IOWA CLINIC SAYS THEY NOTIFIED THAT PATIENT AS WELL AND HE RECEIVED PROPER TREATM

A Panora man faced a terrible choice: have his prostate removed -- or die of cancer.

He chose the surgery, only to find out afterward that the life-threatening diagnosis was wrong.

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Court documents show that pathologist Joy Trueblood at the Iowa Clinic admitted to misdiagnosing Rickie Lee Huitt, of Panora, leading him to believe he had only five years to live without the surgery.

"I'm responsible -- it was a horrible situation,” Trueblood testified in court documents that reveal her admission of messing up Huitt's prostate biopsy.

According to court records, Trueblood said "there were two patients that day that had prostate biopsies" and a "scanner glitch" got Huitt's and another patient's mixed up.

Because of that glitch in 2017, doctors told Huitt that if he didn't get surgery to remove his prostate, he'd only have an estimated five years to live. But if he had the surgery he could face "incontinence and erectile dysfunction."

Thinking it would save his life, on April 3 of that year he got his prostate removed.

However, after the removed prostate was sent to the Mayo Clinic for further testing. They found there was no cancer there.

The Iowa Clinic declined to go on camera but in a statement told KCCI, "Once alerted about the situation we immediately apologized to the patient and implemented changes to make certain such a mistake would not happen again."

The statement goes on to say “The Iowa Clinic recognizes the enormous trust patients and families place in our physicians and staff. We understand that trust is earned every day."

So what about the other patient who thought he was living cancer free? The Iowa Clinic said it notified that patient, as well, and he received proper treatment.